Live: UConn-Stanford game blog

And that’s it, Connecticut players rush the court to celebrate their 53-47 victory that clinches them their second straight championship. Stanford made a late push with a barrage of 3-pointers, but to no avail.

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Well looky there — back-to-back 3-pointers from Stanford has Connecticut sweating things out after all. UConn is up 47-40 with 1:12 left.

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It took longer than expected, but Connecticut’s coronation looks like it will take place nonetheless. UConn is up 13 with 2:16 remaining, in large part because of Maya Moore’s 21 points and a suddenly sweet outside shot from Carolina Doty, who has scored eight with a pair of big 3-pointers.

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Caroline Doty just hit a 3-pointer from the wing that you have to think might ice this for Connecticut. UConn is up 15 with about five minutes to go.

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Connecticut is really starting to pull away from Stanford. Up 11 with 7:32 to go, the Cardinal just don’t have an answer.

A simplistic reason for why is that UConn is no longer shooting 15 percent from the floor.

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We’re eight minutes into the half and Stanford has added just two points to its 20-point halftime total.

Jayne Appel’s injury has crippled the Cardinal. With her sitting out several minutes, Connecticut took the lead — capitalizing on the matchup changes created by her absence. Charles started to take Ogwumike on the offensive end, swatting away shots on consecutive trips down the court. Then, on the other end, with Ogwumike not guarding Maya Moore, she got hot with seven quick points.

Appel is back in the game now, but she is grimacing up and down the court. It’ll be interesting to see how much she has in her.

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Maya Moore’s 3-pointer with 14:21 left gives Connecticut the lead again.

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Mark this down for future reference: With 15:48 left in the game, Stanford center Jayne Appel limps off the court. It looks like her bum ankle is acting up. She hasn’t done much on the offensive end, going 0 for 9 from the floor with zero points, but her defensive presence has helped limit the national player of the year, Tina Charles, to just two points.

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Now it’s Stanford that can’t buy a shot, and Connecticut has closed the gap to three, 20-17. Maya Moore just had a beautiful mid-range jumper from the elbow that she banked off the glass.

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Here’s the thing for Stanford, though. UConn just played what was collectively the worst half of basketball it will ever play. The two best players in the nation, Maya Moore and Tina Charles, were complete non-factors. They’re not hitting anything from anywhere, shooting 17 percent from the floor and 0 for 4 from the foul line.

And they’re still only down eight.

Stanford has to be ready for UConn’s absolute best here in about 10 minutes. You’ve got to believe there’s no way that Connecticut stinks up the join for another 20 minutes. That eight-point advantage can disappear in a hurry for Stanford, so they can’t be in shock when Moore and Co. comes out of halftime draining big shots.

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Wow, what a half. Who had Connecticut scoring 12 and Stanford leading by eight at the break?

Really, it’s a healthy margin the Cardinal has maintained over the majority of the final 10 minutes of the half. UConn hasn’t been able to threaten at all in any regard. They’re getting outrebounded, are being outshot … essentially out-everything’d.

Geno Auriemma looked like a beaten man giving his halftime interview with ESPN. Before the cameras turned on, he was wincing and holding the side of his face.

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Kayla Pedersen is having a night to remember. Already with 10 points and eight rebounds, she just forced a steal to give Stanford the final possession before halftime. Her and Ogwumike have been the two best players on the court this half.

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Jayne Appel is trying mightily inside, but she just cannot buy a bucket. Not sure if it’s because of her bum ankle or what, but she’s 0 for 5 so far.

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UConn hadn’t trailed but for 90 minutes of their 77-game streak. They’ve already trailed for about 10 minutes today.

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Connecticut starts out 0 for 4 at the foul line. Ouch.

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Twelve-and-a-half minutes into the game, someone other than Tiffany Hayes has scored for Connecticut.